If an employee is injured during the course of work responsibilities, he or she may be eligible to receive financial benefits through your business' workers compensation insurance provider. This not only provides assistance to your employees, but it also protects your business. When receiving workers compensation benefits, an employee generally forgoes the right to sue your business for financial losses. Essentially, the insurance plan helps the injured worker pay for medical expenses and lost wages without the need for a messy lawsuit.

In order for an injured worker to receive these benefits, both employee and employer must understand the claims process. While certain aspects of the process may vary by state and insurer, here is a general breakdown of what you can expect.

An employee must notify the employer of a workplace injury within 30 days of when it occurred. The sooner, the better. This is usually done by submitting written notification to a manager or supervisor. Failure to provide notification within time constraints (as determined by state) may result in the denial of workers compensation benefits.

If an employee is unable to provide written notification (for instance, because of a hospitalization), this step may be excused if the employer otherwise learns of the incident.

After notification, the employer must then submit a report to the state worker's compensation board and inform their workers compensation insurance provider.

The insurance carrier can then start paying benefits to the injured worker to cover his or her medical bills. In many cases, an employee can also receive a portion of his or her average weekly income to compensate for lost wages during recovery. This is generally dispensed in the form of temporary disability payments.

In other instances, an employee may visit a doctor, who discovers that an injury is in fact tied to work activities. In this case, the doctor may ask the individual to file for workers compensation benefits. The process is much the same as above from this point on.

If a workers compensation claim is rejected, there is often an option to appeal the decision with the state workers compensation board. In this case, it may be beneficial for the injured worker to consult with an attorney.

Your independent insurance agent can assist you through the process of obtaining workers compensation insurance, along with providing answers to questions you may have.

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